Everet Gregory Martin

Everet Gregory Martin (Greg) died on June 22, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado following a short illness.

Greg was born on March 17, 1931, at The Old Home Place, his grandparents’ house in Warsaw, Missouri. He was the only son of Orpha and Elmer Martin. In 1936 the family moved from Warsaw to Colorado’s San Luis Valley, where they farmed. Greg always said that growing up in the San Luis Valley, with its high desert farmland surrounded by the towering peaks of the Sangre de Cristo and the San Juan Mountains, taught him the values of directness, honesty, integrity, and hard work that shaped him. He maintained ties to what he affectionately called “The Valley” for the rest of his life.

 Greg enlisted in the Navy in 1951. He was initially posted to the Naval Air Station in Coronado, California. While on a weekend leave, he ventured inland to Hemet, California one Sunday to attend church. The trip was serendipitous. It was in Hemet that he met and, shortly following his discharge from the Navy in 1954, married Betty, his wife of nearly 70 years.

The young, wide-eyed newlyweds soon loaded all their earthly possessions into a homemade trailer hitched to Greg’s MG convertible. They headed to Boulder, then a sleepy college town with a single stoplight at the intersection of Broadway and Arapahoe, arriving in June of 1955. They never left.

 With Betty’s support, Greg graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 1959. Throughout his life, he was a proud Buff and an ardent supporter of the university. Greg and Betty were honored for their contributions to the school during a halftime ceremony at the Colorado versus Utah football game in 2018.

Greg was a trial lawyer for more than 60 years. He loved everything about his profession and was honored to be a part of it. He made many lifelong friends among the lawyers and judges with whom he practiced law. Greg was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1982 and later served a term as the Colorado State Chairman. He was also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was recognized as a “Living Legend” by that organization in 2015. Greg also received the Boulder County Bar Association’s Award of Merit in 2000. 

Throughout his life, Greg had a thirst for adventure. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro after his 60th birthday, nearly froze while dog sledding in the Yukon, and spent many happy hours trail running in the hills above Boulder and mountain biking near the family home in Minturn. He continued to ride his mountain bike into his 90s.

Greg was a guiding light to his four children and a constant presence in their lives. He cherished his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who, in turn, adored him. He enjoyed nothing more than sitting and talking with family at the end of the day before the fire that he always had burning regardless of the weather or season, a dry martini in hand.

Greg was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved sister Mary Lou Welch, and his son Brent. He is survived by his wife Betty, now of Louisville, his sons Michael (Ronda) of Denver and Scot (Cheryl) of Littleton, his daughter Susan of Denver, former daughter-in-law Jennifer Samuels (Don) of Castle Pines Village, his 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

Greg will always be remembered for his boundless optimism and indomitable spirit. He will be greatly missed. A private burial service will be held, with a celebration of life to take place later his summer. Donations may be made to the University of Colorado Law School, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

We wish to thank Trailwinds Hospice for the care and compassion with which they dealt with Greg and his family.